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Physical retailing vs. physical distancing–an empirical study of Swedish retail adaptations in the wake of Covid-19

Hultman, Jens LU and Egan-Wyer, Carys LU orcid (2022) In International Review of Retail, Distribution and Consumer Research 32(2). p.201-220
Abstract

The Covid-19 pandemic represented a crisis that was handled in very different ways by different retailers. The purpose of this comprehensive empirical study is to explore how Swedish retailers adapted their retail formats, activities and governance over the course of the pandemic. Three types of adaptations were observed: adaptations in the physical store environment, new services connected to the physical store, and reduction of services connected to the physical store. We also found that the development of adaptations could be divided into three process steps: mobilization, operation (with adapted retail formats, activities and governance), and normalization. While literature tends to portray retail format development as proactive,... (More)

The Covid-19 pandemic represented a crisis that was handled in very different ways by different retailers. The purpose of this comprehensive empirical study is to explore how Swedish retailers adapted their retail formats, activities and governance over the course of the pandemic. Three types of adaptations were observed: adaptations in the physical store environment, new services connected to the physical store, and reduction of services connected to the physical store. We also found that the development of adaptations could be divided into three process steps: mobilization, operation (with adapted retail formats, activities and governance), and normalization. While literature tends to portray retail format development as proactive, carefully planned and top down, our findings suggest that the development undertaken in response to the pandemic was reactive and often bottom-up. Our findings also suggest that, in the wake of Covid-19, retailers can create value for customers by providing them with a novel kind of customer experience, a reassuring kind of customer experience in which safety and security are important elements.

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Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
business model, Covid-19, customer experience, customer journey, format development
in
International Review of Retail, Distribution and Consumer Research
volume
32
issue
2
pages
20 pages
publisher
Taylor & Francis
external identifiers
  • scopus:85126684338
ISSN
0959-3969
DOI
10.1080/09593969.2022.2047760
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
5b336300-5820-4c7b-b58e-48c8a37db7cd
date added to LUP
2022-05-02 16:05:22
date last changed
2024-02-17 21:57:17
@article{5b336300-5820-4c7b-b58e-48c8a37db7cd,
  abstract     = {{<p>The Covid-19 pandemic represented a crisis that was handled in very different ways by different retailers. The purpose of this comprehensive empirical study is to explore how Swedish retailers adapted their retail formats, activities and governance over the course of the pandemic. Three types of adaptations were observed: adaptations in the physical store environment, new services connected to the physical store, and reduction of services connected to the physical store. We also found that the development of adaptations could be divided into three process steps: mobilization, operation (with adapted retail formats, activities and governance), and normalization. While literature tends to portray retail format development as proactive, carefully planned and top down, our findings suggest that the development undertaken in response to the pandemic was reactive and often bottom-up. Our findings also suggest that, in the wake of Covid-19, retailers can create value for customers by providing them with a novel kind of customer experience, a reassuring kind of customer experience in which safety and security are important elements.</p>}},
  author       = {{Hultman, Jens and Egan-Wyer, Carys}},
  issn         = {{0959-3969}},
  keywords     = {{business model; Covid-19; customer experience; customer journey; format development}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{2}},
  pages        = {{201--220}},
  publisher    = {{Taylor & Francis}},
  series       = {{International Review of Retail, Distribution and Consumer Research}},
  title        = {{Physical retailing vs. physical distancing–an empirical study of Swedish retail adaptations in the wake of Covid-19}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/09593969.2022.2047760}},
  doi          = {{10.1080/09593969.2022.2047760}},
  volume       = {{32}},
  year         = {{2022}},
}